


A Change of Heart

by orphan_account



Category: Little Mix (Band)
Genre: :3c, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, Fluffy, Fluffy Ending, I love fluff so i had to write it, Jade works at a book shop, No Smut, Perrie thinks she low-key a nerd for Jade but she's pretty high-key about it tbh, Short & Sweet, This idea just randomly came to me, what a cute lil book nerd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-17
Updated: 2017-01-25
Packaged: 2018-09-09 04:03:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8875216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Perrie Edwards was never one to believe in love but when her best-friend, Leigh-Anne drags her to her cousin's wedding, she meets a girl who is very keen on changing her mind.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first story on here!! I always wrote on wattpad (yikes) (I still do...., Sadly) (I don't know why I never made one of these tbh) Anyways I hope you guys enjoy this, sorry if it isn't the best, I just really wanted to write a short story on here first! (:

There was a loud banging coming from the door and Perrie felt herself sigh, she already had her face buried in a pillow ready to sleep, but of course someone had to interrupt. She laid there for a few minutes hoping whoever was on the other side would eventually leave but after five minutes, they still hadn't left. The blonde groaned to herself as she got up from her comfortable position on her bed, walking slowly to the front door, the pounding on the other side still going.

What she saw on the other side surprised her, Leigh-Anne was the last person she was expecting to see when she opened the door. They both went to different Universities, which was hard for them both but they managed.

She smiled brightly as her best-friend stood there, arms crossed over her chest, even though Perrie looked happy to see her she was upset with her.

“What took you so long to answer?” Leigh-Anne asked as she pushed past Perrie, walking into the younger girl's flat. “Sorry, Leigh, I was taking a nap.” Perrie spoke softly as she shut the front door.

“Aren't you always?” Leigh-Anne joked which made Perrie roll her eyes, “No, I just finally got a break from work, so I decided on resting for once. I never get sleep.” The blonde groaned as she rubbed the tiredness from her eyes. She was angry at Leigh-Anne for waking her up but at the same time she was happy to see her, she hadn't seen her for a couple of months.

“I see you're living off campus this year.” Leigh-Anne said as she looked around the flat, and Perrie nodded but immediately asked the most prominent question on her mind.“Anyways, why are you here?” She eyed Leigh-Anne as she walked over to the sofa, the older girl looked a bit nervous as she walked over to the sofa, sitting next to Perrie. “I just wanted to come see my best-friend.” The older girl smiled brightly as she patted Perrie's knee.

Perrie chuckled knowing that the girl was lying, Leigh-Anne wouldn't have drove an hour and a half just to come see her, even though it would have been nice but she knew better than that.

“Mhmm, sure,” She squinted her eyes at the brunette, looking at her skeptically. “Okay, okay,” Leigh-Anne quickly gave in, not liking the feeling of Perrie's judging gaze on her, “I had a question, well a few actually.” She stated and the blonde just sat in silence waiting for her to go on.

Leigh-Anne knew that the first question Perrie would be perfectly fine with and answer without hesitation, so it was easy for her to ask. “First question, I'm actually here for something in particular, so I was wondering if I could say here for a couple of days?” Perrie could see that Leigh-Anne was obviously nervous, but she didn't understand why.

“Of course, Leigh, you're always welcome.” She gave her a warm smile as she patted the older girl's knee. “What are you here for anyway?” Perrie asked as she leaned back into the sofa, watching Leigh-Anne grow more nervous at her question.

“About that,” She said with a nervous chuckle. She knew that the blonde would have mixed feelings about this but she knew that in the end, she would agree to going, even though she was stubborn. “My cousin is actually having a wedding this weekend, tomorrow actually,” Leigh-Anne began and she already saw Perrie scrunch her nose up in distaste. The younger girl already had a feeling of where all this was going and she didn't like the uncomfortable feeling settling in the pit of her stomach.

“I wanted you to come, she wanted me to bring a plus one, yeah?” Leigh-Anne gave Perrie a pleading look, the blonde sat in silence for a few moments, contemplating on what exactly to say to her friend.

Perrie never believed in love, she believed that loving someone would never last forever and it would only end up tattered and torn. Everyone she had ever loved always ended up walking away, so in her mind love was nothing but pain, she gave up on ever giving it another chance. It was always her giving too much and the other never giving her anything in return. She ended up building walls around her heart, to protect herself from all the pain of the outside world.

Leigh-Anne knew this and she knew that anything to do with the subject made her friend uncomfortable. She always tried to convince Perrie otherwise, she would try and set her up on dates, with anyone, boys or girls, but Perrie always refused, turning the offer down almost immediately.

“Leigh,” Perrie began and Leigh-Anne soon cut her off, “I'm not trying to convince you of anything Perrie, I just want a friend to bring along. I don't want to go alone.” She jutted out her bottom lip, trying to convince her friend, she knew that most of the time if she gave her the puppy eyes she would give in.

Perrie stared at her for a few moments, feeling the guilt wash over her, knowing that if she didn't go she would disappoint Leigh-Anne. She huffed out and nodded her head, “Fine, I'll go.” She said and Leigh-Anne clapped her hands in excitement. “But,” Perrie held her index finger up which made the older girl go silent as she watched her friend intently, “I'm just your plus one, no funny business Leigh,” She warned and Leigh-Anne nodded.

“No funny business.” Leigh-Anne repeated her words and Perrie nodded smiling at her friend.

“Now,” Perrie sighed as she stood up from the couch, “I'm going to be continuing on with what I was doing before you barged into my home,” She giggled as she skipped back to her room, happy that she was finally going to get to lay back down but before she did she stood in the doorway look at Leigh-Anne, who was still seated on the sofa.

“Help yourself to anything in the kitchen, you can do whatever.” She shrugged and Leigh-Anne smiled, knowing that Perrie trusted her with anything and everything she had. “Night,” Perrie yawned as she closed her door.

Leigh-Anne chuckled, “It's actually daytime Perrie!” She exclaimed and she heard the younger girl groan through the door, “Good day then, Leigh!”

***

“Wake up!” Perrie felt her whole bed shake, she groaned and buried her head deeper into her pillow, “Give me like another ten minutes.” She mumbled into her pillow and the older girl laughed.

“We have to be there in an hour Perrie, unless you want to go as you are, I suggest getting up.” She said and the blonde groaned again, knowing that she needed a shower because she hadn't taken one the day before.

“Am I really that gross?” She asked as she turned her head so she was facing the brunette and Leigh-Anne just scrunched up her nose, “Yeah, be glad you can't smell.” She joked and Perrie rolled her eyes and pushed her roughly off her bed.

“Oh you know I was only kidding, Pez!” She exclaimed from the floor, which made Perrie laugh as she sat up to look at Leigh-Anne, who was helplessly lying there. “I know, but it hurt, Leigh. You know I'm sensitive.” She rubbed her chest, acting as if she was hurt by the comment from the older girl.

“Just get ready, I already showered.” Leigh-Anne huffed as she got up from the floor, making her way out of the room but stopped at the doorway, turning back to her friend. “And wear something cute, no black,” She said sternly which made the younger girl pout. “It's not a funeral, Pez, it's a wedding.” She said before walking out of the doorway, shutting the blonde's bedroom door behind her.

Perrie sighed out tiredly, wishing she had gotten more sleep the night before, but she couldn't because she was a bit nervous about today. She didn't know why, she figured it was because she didn't know many, if any, of the people that were going to be there, so she felt like she had to make a good first impression. She was only Leigh-Anne's best friend, so she figured no one would really care that much, but it still set an anxious feeling in her stomach.

“And no singing in there either!! You know how long it takes when you do that!” She heard Leigh-Anne yell through the door as she got up from her bed, she frowned slightly, feeling like the older girl was more of her mother rather than her friend at the moment.

***

Perrie was trying her best to hold her eyes open the whole time, she was bored to death and hadn't been paying attention for most of it. Instead she had been off in her own head, thinking about what she could have been doing on this boring Saturday afternoon instead of being there.

“To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do us part” Was all the blonde heard and she felt her eyes roll to the back of her head.

People made these vows to love someone forever but in reality they never kept these promises. They always end up leaving, they never stay, it always ends in pain.

She felt Leigh-Anne elbow her in the side, she had noticed the face that Perrie had made, knowing that the blonde wasn't enjoying this at all, but she at least had to stop acting like a stubborn seven year old.

“You may now kiss the bride.” The second sentence Perrie had heard during the whole thing, she looked round the room to see everyone cheering, some people even in tears.

Perrie scoffed feeling sick to her stomach at the fact that people were so dumb to believe in this stupid thing called loved.

“Is that the end?” The blonde asked as she leaned over to her friend, “They kiss and it's over right?” She questioned and Leigh-Anne covered her mouth to muffle her laughter. She shook her head and leaned over to her, whispering in her ear, “No, there's a reception afterwards.” Perrie groaned to herself.

“Oh, come on Pez, it isn't that bad.” Leigh-Anne patted her friend's knee, feeling a bit guilty for making her come, but she knew that she shouldn't feel bad for making her come. She was her friend and that's what friends are for, they do whatever they can to make you happy or help you out in some way, and in this case she didn't want to be alone.

“Come on, let's party!” Leigh-Anne nudged Perrie's side as everyone started to get up to go to a different part of the building, she felt the older girl grab her hand and pull her along, bumping into people along the way, giving them a shy smile as she did.

She looked around the room seeing that there were many tables set up with purple table clothes over the top of them, plates and forks on top as well for people to dine. To the side there was also a floor there for dancing she could only assume since there was music lowly in the background. She sighed knowing that all she had to do was sit there now, Perrie sighed in contentment as she sat down comfortably on one of the seats and Leigh-Anne's eyebrows furrowed, “Come on Pez!” She said trying to get her friend up from her seat, but she refused.

“Come on Leigh, go have fun with your family, I'll get up in a minute.” She said giving her friend an encouraging smile and Leigh-Anne let out an exasperated sigh. “Okay, fine, but I'm coming back for you in a few!” She exclaimed as she pointed a finger at her and Perrie smiled knowingly. She knew that Leigh-Anne was trying her best to help her have a good time, which she appreciated.

She watched Leigh-Anne dance along with her family members and friend as an upbeat song played in the background, she smiled at the sight, she loved seeing her so happy.

A voice interrupted her train of thought, “What's a pretty girl like you doing sitting all alone?” Perrie looked over and saw a girl sitting across from her, her chin in the palm of her hand as she gazed curiously at her. Perrie blushed profusely at her comment, scratching the back of her neck nervously, “Uh, I was just sorta a plus one.” She explained as she looked around nervously, not ever looking the girl directly in the eye.

She was nervous because no one else had attempted to talk to her the whole day, except for Leigh-Anne of course. This girl hadn't looked familiar and she started to wonder if she was kin to Leigh-Anne at all because she had looked nothing like her.

“So am I,” The girl sighed as she looked at the blonde, who was still refusing to make any eye contact with her. “I'm Jade.” The girl introduced herself, feeling herself smile as the younger girl finally looked her way. She was captivated immediately by blue, “Perrie.” She spoke softly as she held out of her hand for the other girl to shake, the brunette immediately reached forward, grasping the younger girl's hand softly,“Nice to meet you.” Jade smiled warmly and Perrie let go quickly, feeling herself grow even more nervous than before.

“Who are you here with?” Jade asked and Perrie's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, as she watched the older girl intently, she was internally wondering why this random stranger had come to sit and talk with her.

Perrie cleared her throat as she saw Jade staring at her curiously, waiting for answer. Perrie just pointed over to Leigh-Anne who was still out on the dance floor, looking as if she was having the time of her life, “Leigh-Anne,” She said and heard the brunette clear her throat.

“Is she your girlfriend?” She asked, Jade frowned a bit at the question herself, having taken slight interest in the blonde, but soon felt confused as she saw Perrie starting to laugh hysterically.

“Me and Leigh?” She asked as she looked back over to Jade, who still had a confused look etched on her face, “No never,” She shook her head, shivering at the thought, Leigh-Anne was like a sister to her.

“Oh,” Jade said quietly, giggling to herself. “Good,” She spoke under her breath which caught the blonde's attention, “What was that?” She questioned, raising an eyebrow at the older girl. “Oh, nothing.” She shrugged, a coy smile on her face.

“So who are you here with?” The blonde questioned, since Jade was being a bit nosy she decided that it was okay if she did the same. The brunette smiled at the younger girl, watching the movements of her lips as she spoke, “I'm here with a friend, I think Leigh-Anne actually invited her,” She said and tore her gaze away from the blonde's lips, her eyes scanning the crowd looking for her friend. She pointed over to a tall curvy brunette, who was laughing with Leigh-Anne on the dance floor, "Next to Leigh-Anne," She said as her gaze wandered back to Perrie, "Her name is Jesy, she brought me along," She chuckled. "I don't even know anyone here."

The blonde's eyebrows furrowed now noticing that Leigh-Anne  had in fact, lied to her. She said she was only her plus once, she could have easily invited Jesy along with her, but made Perrie come instead. She knew that there was always something the older girl had planned, she sigh softly as she shook her head, knowing she couldn't get out of it now. “I don't either.” She huffed, feeling bored.

“So, guess you're not having any fun then?” Jade scrunched her nose as she asked Perrie, who was absentmindedly playing with the table cloth. She shook her head, “I hate weddings.” She said which made Jade frown. The brunette didn't really want to be here that much either, since she hadn't know anyone, but she didn't hate weddings, in fact she loved them. She was looking forward to her own one day.

“And why's that? Everyone loves a good wedding.” Jade asked curiously, seeing that the blonde looked a bit irritated at the question, which made the brunette frown.

“What's to like about them? So? They're getting married, we vow to love each other till the day we die, then we cheat, lie, and hurt each other. It's dumb.” Perrie spat bitterly, feeling her heart clench even thinking of the aspect of love.

Jade looked at Perrie sympathetically, she could tell she blonde was frustrated, and you could clearly see that she had been hurt by the way she spoke about love. “But love is a beautiful thing.” Jade spoke as she leaned a bit closer to the younger girl, watching her facial features closely, seeing how her mouth was pressed into a thin line, showing how upset she was by the topic.

“Love is a lie, it isn't real.” She shook her head, refusing to believe anything Jade had to say.

“Just because _someone_  hurt you doesn't mean love is a bad thing, or isn't even real. Some people are just cruel.” The older girl spoke, she was no expert when it came to love, but something in her really wanted to change the blonde's perspective on it.

Love was something that made the world go around, at least that's what Jade had always thought. She couldn't imagine a world without it, and the thought of someone never experiencing it because they were too afraid of being hurt again, broke her heart.

“Promises get broken, and sadly, people fall out of love. Love isn't the one to blame.” Jade added as she shrugged and the blonde shook her head, still refusing to believe any of it.

Leigh-Anne saw the two at the table and smiled brightly, “Oh I see you've met Jade!” Leigh-Anne exclaimed, “You know she's from south shields as well.” She commented and Jade smiled shyly. Perrie rolled her eyes, seeing that Leigh-Anne probably had this planned all along. She let it slide for the time being, seeing how happy her friend was at the moment, and just went along with it.

The song went from a fast upbeat one to a slow one, which made the older girl smile at the two, “Why don't you two dance?” She asked and Perrie scrunched up her noise in distaste, not wanting to get up from her seat. 

She looked over to Jade who's cheeks were tinted red, which made Perrie chuckle, “Okay, let's,” The blonde mumbled as she got up from her seat walking over to the other side of the table, reaching her hand out to grab the brunette's. She knew that it would have been rude to refuse, so she just decided there was no point in arguing, she didn't want to come off as a bitch.

Leigh-Anne gave herself a pat on the back as she walked back to the dance floor, leaving the two alone.

Perrie led the smaller girl out to the floor. She felt her breath hitch in her throat as two soft hands wrapped around her wrist gently, placing them on the older girl's waist, and arms delicately wrap themselves around her neck. She felt her heart beating wildly in her chest as the brunette pulled her closer, their bodies flushing together, making the blonde's cheeks heat up almost immediately. Perrie hadn't had any human contact, at least this kind of contact, in a long time and to say she was nervous was a understatement.

Jade watched Perrie closely, seeing her look away sheepishly, she could easily tell she was embarrassed. “You're beautiful,” Jade complimented, finally catching the blue-eyed girl's attention.

Perrie looked to her and Jade gave her a soft smile, trying to make her feel a bit more comfortable. She could tell the younger girl was feeling uncomfortable by the way her body was so tense, “Uh, thanks,” Perrie smiled coyly, not really used to the compliments, she was usually only used to giving them but never receiving.

“So, why do you hate love so much?” Jade asked bluntly, she was still curious on the blonde's thoughts and opinions on it and why she had them.

“Well, why do you love it so much?” Perrie shot back, raising an eyebrow, which Jade had expected from her, “It's a beautiful thing. Sure, love does have it's downs, but the only real pain comes from the absence of love, you know? Like when it's unrequited or people fall out of it. Love never hurts, it heals.” Jade explained and Perrie watched her, feeling a bit mesmerized as she watched the smaller girl talk so passionately.

“And you? What's with the hate?” Jade asked as she looked back at a dumbfounded Perrie, “I-I.., Well anytime I try to love, I only get hurt,” She shrugged and Jade felt her heart ache inside her chest for the younger girl,  _no one should ever have to experience that_ , she thought to herself. “I don't want to love anymore, at least not like that, I'll only end up getting hurt again.” She stated sternly.

“I know you're scared, but you should give it a chance, you'll find someone.” Jade spoke softly and Perrie shook her head, knowing that she would only end up hurt.

“Someone who will what? Heal this fucked up heart of mine?” She questioned and the older girl looked away, feeling herself grow guilty, she just wanted to show her that love still existed, even for her.

“No,” Jade spoke softly. Perrie's eyebrows furrowed as she kept her eyes on the brown-eyed girl waiting for her to say something else, “Someone who will help you learn to love again.” She stated and they both fell silent.

The smaller girl bit her lip at the thought that came to mind and the blue-eyed girl looked at her in curiosity, Jade said nothing as she reached in the girls back pocket, in search for her phone. When she found it she quickly put her number in and placed it back in the blonde's back pocket, leaving the younger girl a bit speechless at her sudden bold action.

“Maybe let me be that person,” Jade said as her fingers softly caressed the material around the blonde's waist, standing on her toes to kiss her cheek softly.

Jade looked at the younger girl one last time, chuckling softly at her expression before walking back over to her friend, Jesy, leaving Perrie dumbfounded, not believing what had just happened.

 


	2. Chapter 2

"I didn't see you much after I left you two alone," Leigh-Anne gave Perrie a knowing look, the blonde scoffed as she waited for Leigh-Anne to start the car, but she didn't because she wanted to discuss what had just happened. "Did you get some?" She asked as she saw the younger girl's cheeks slowly burn crimson, Perrie shook her head almost immediately.

"No, Leigh, nothing happened, we just talked." Perrie shrugged and pulled her jacket tighter around her, Leigh-Anne still hadn't started the car and it was freezing out, "Can you start the car?" Perrie huffed and Leigh-Anne looked at her skeptically before starting the car.

"Thank you," Perrie breathed out immediately as she felt the warm air hit her face, rubbing her hands together to try and warm them because, at this point, she couldn't even feel her fingers anymore. The brunette started to pull out of the parking space as she began to speak once more, "So, what'd you talk about?" Leigh-Anne asked and Perrie let out an exasperated sigh, she was being nosy and the younger girl was finding it very annoying at the moment.

"Nothing much," Perrie said, nonchalantly which made Leigh-Anne scoff, "You blushed as soon as I asked you, I don't think it was 'nothing much'." Leigh-Anne snickered quietly under her breath but Perrie still heard it.

"We talked about love," Perrie stated which made Leigh-Anne raise an eyebrow, her eyes were still on the road but she was listening intently to the blonde's words, "She asked me why I hated it, I asked her why she loved it." She shrugged it off as nothing but the older girl was intrigued. She knew that Perrie never liked to discuss it so it made her wonder how her conversation with Jade had gone.

Perrie noticed that Leigh-Anne was waiting for her to continue by the way she was sitting there silently as she kept her eyes focused on the road, "She said that love never hurts anyone that it only heals," Perrie repeated the older girl's words, "She said the only pain that comes from love is the absence of it." She said quietly and saw Leigh-Anne glance at her for a mere second out of the corner of her eye.

"It's true," The older girl spoke softly and Perrie's eyebrows pinned together in confusion, "The absence of love is what is so painful, when someone doesn't love you back," She said and the words hit Perrie hard, when someone doesn't love you back, she frowned as she thought about it again.

"Nonsense," The blonde spoke under her breath but the older girl still heard her, "Perrie, I know you've been hurt bu-" Leigh-Anne started, only wanting to comfort her friend but was soon cut off by her, "Love hurts, Leigh. That's just how it is, they say they love me but leave me anyway," Perrie spat, and Leigh-Anne felt her heart ache knowing that there wasn't any way that she could change her mind.

"Perrie, did you ever think that maybe, he never did love you," Leigh-Anne trailed off knowing that her words were harsh, she didn't want to cause the younger girl pain, she just wanted her to understand that the pain she felt was never love, "What I'm saying is," The brunette tried to find the right words to say, "Love isn't supposed to hurt you, Pez. He was no good." Leigh-Anne stated firmly and Perrie took a deep breath as she looked at the road ahead, not seeing the older girl glanced over to her to see how she had taken what she said.

"And Jade," Perrie felt herself tense at the mention of the brunette, "She's such a sweet girl, Perrie. She's close with one of my friends from Uni, Jesy." She explained as Perrie silently listened. She knew that Leigh-Anne brought her to the wedding to try and set her up, she didn't know if Jade coming to talk to her was planned out by them all, or just a coincidence, either way, she knew Leigh-Anne wanted her to speak to the brunette.

"She works in this small bookshop, about five minutes away from the University Of London," Leigh-Anne kept talking about the older girl, wanting Perrie to possibly take some kind of interest in her because Leigh-Anne knew that Jade would treat her right. "So she isn't far from you, actually, she goes to Uni there as well, which is funny. I can't believe you've never run into her." The older girl chuckled and Perrie raised an eyebrow.

Perrie had wondered why she had never run into the brunette at Uni, she had never seen her at all. She probably lives on campus, Perrie thought to herself as she shrugged it off. Because in all honesty she just wanted to forget about the whole situation and move on but she knew that Leigh-Anne wouldn't let her until she gave Jade at least a chance.

"You know, Jade isn't one to give up, so I'm just saying that if she's taken interest in you, she's going to try her best to convince you," Leigh-Anne said to the younger girl, who staring out the window, still listening closely to her friend's words.

Leigh-Anne didn't know Jade well but she had spoken to Jesy about her as they both watched the two of them sit alone talking to each other at the table. Jesy had explained that Jade was always a hopeless romantic and she never gave up on someone when she wanted them, which made Leigh-Anne laugh because her friend was the complete opposite.

"Well, she's going to have to try pretty hard then," Perrie chuckled bitterly and the brunette frowned at her comment, knowing that Perrie wasn't cold hearted, she was just afraid of falling in love and being heartbroken. Which Leigh-Anne understood completely but she was so tired of seeing her friend so sad and alone no matter how many times the blonde tried to say she was fine, Leigh-Anne never believed her because she knew better.

"Like I said before, give her a chance, maybe she can change your mind," Leigh-Anne spoke softly which made Perrie turn her head to the side to look at her friend, "Maybe even change your heart," She looked away from the road for a moment to look over at Perrie, giving her a sympathetic smile.

The blonde took a breath and just nodded, "Fine," She said and Leigh-Anne's heart felt like it was going to burst with happiness, but she tried not to show exactly how happy she was on the outside, "One chance, that's it,"

***

The next morning Leigh-Anne had already left before Perrie could even wake up, she had left a note on the fridge to let her know, but let out an exasperated sigh when she saw that the older girl had mentioned Jade in the note. The blonde rolled her eyes as she crumbled up the small note, throwing it into the bin.

Today was Sunday and Perrie wasn't sure what to do, the note had encouraged her to go see Jade because today was one of the days she was at work, she actually thought about it for a moment. She wasn't too sure if she wanted to go because she knew that the brunette would constantly be trying to change her mind or even try impressing her in some way, and she wasn't sure if she was up for that today.

"Fuck it," She mumbled to herself, deciding that she would go and give the brunette a chance. It wouldn't hurt and even if Jade couldn't change her mind, maybe Perrie could make a new friend on campus since she didn't have many in the first place.

She quickly made her way to her room to get changed, she eyed the bathroom for a few moments debating if she could take a quick shower or not. Perrie shrugged as she walked inside, turning on the water, making sure it was warm.

Perrie took off her clothes, throwing them to the ground before she got into the shower. She felt herself groan as the hot water rained against her back, immediately relieving some of the tension that had built up in the muscles in her back.

It reminded her of the way her muscles had tensed at the touch of the brunette last night. Perrie quickly shook away the thought as she continued on with washing herself, but at the same time she constantly had the events of the night before on a constant loop in her mind, and she wasn't even sure why. She had never seen someone so determined to change her mind about something and in a way, it warmed her heart even though she knew that there wasn't any possible way she could change her, it was just comforting to know that someone cared.

****

The small bell above the door rang, signaling that someone had entered the bookshop. Jade turned her head and was surprised at the sight before her, but a smile tugged at the corners of her lips nonetheless.

"Hey, there stranger." The brunette chirped as she watched Perrie study the small shop curiously before her eyes wandered over to catch the brown-eyed girl's gaze. The younger girl blushed profusely as she noticed Jade staring at her attentively, "Hey," She spoke softly as she walked over to the counter, where Jade had her elbow placed, her chin laying gently in the palm of her hand, enjoying how the blonde seemed extremely coy under her gaze.

"What brings you here?" Jade asked as she examined the younger girl's hands, which were playing with the hem of her t-shirt since it seemed to be the only thing Perrie that could focus on. The brunette waited a few moments to see if Perrie had listened to a word she had said when she realized that she hadn't because she was too busy playing with her shirt, she decided to wave a hand in front of the blonde's face. Eventually, her hand had caught the younger girl's attention, Jade giggled softly as she watched Perrie's face morph into a mortified expression.

"Sorry," Perrie quickly apologized, and Jade just shrugged it off, "I didn't hear what you said," The blonde scratched the back of her neck, and the older girl quickly noted that it must have been a habit that Perrie had. "What did you say?" She inquired, rubbing the palms of her hands together sheepishly.

"I just asked what brought you here, love," Jade smiled brightly, not expecting the blonde to be as shy as she was at the moment, last night she seemed blunt and to the point when Jade had asked her anything. This girl in front of her seemed like a completely different person.

Perrie had no idea what had come over her but she had just felt extremely nervous. She hadn't thought about the possibility of a relationship in a while, so even the simple thought of it made her heart beat wildly in her chest. She didn't like the thought of love and relationships and they terrified her, she knew that had to be the reason she was acting this way in front of Jade. Especially after what Leigh-Anne had told her about the brunette, Jade wouldn't give up if she had already taken interest, and Perrie could tell by the way the older girl's eyes were roaming her body at the moment, she already had.

"Well, Leigh-Anne told me you worked here," Perrie smiled softly as she watched the brunette's eyes finally make their way back up to hers, her cheeks tinted pink because she had been caught red-handed. "So, I decided to stop by." Perrie shrugged as she leaned against the counter.

She let her eyes wander around the shop for a minute, noticing that there wasn't anyone else in the bookstore, "Busy day? Yeah?" The blonde joked and Jade chuckled softly.

"Sundays are never the best days for business, I guess." She shrugged and Perrie tilted her head to the side slightly, staring at her curiously, "Then why not close on Sundays?" She questioned.

"Well, this is my families bookstore, I just help out sometimes," Jade explained, "And they think it's best to stay open on Sunday," Perrie chuckled, not seeing how the older girl's parents thought that was a good idea, "I guess I don't have a say in it." Jade shrugged.

"Do your parents live here?" Perrie asked and Jade nodded, "Yeah when I told them I got into the University of London, they immediately decided to pack their bags and come along."

"That's sweet." Perrie smiled and Jade laughed slightly, shaking her head, "It seems sweet but it's actually quite irritating. I love them, but I was excited to move out and experience life without my parents always being overprotective and all." Jade frowned a bit and the blonde smiled at her sympathetically.

"Do they live on campus with you?" Perrie joked again and Jade smirked at the blonde's lame attempt at a joke, "No they actually live right above the shop," Jade pointed above her, and Perrie looked up even though all she saw was the ceiling of the shop. "They aren't here right now, though, that's why I'm down here," Jade explained.

"Now," The brunette smiled as she placed both her elbow's on the counter, placing her chin in her hands, "Tell me more about you." She said as she stared at Perrie closely, studying her features, loving the way heat began to rise to the blonde's pale cheeks.

"Well, my name is Perrie," The blonde grew nervous once again, not really fond of talking about herself. "But you already knew that." She chuckled and Jade smile's widened as she watched Perrie's hand makes it's way to the back of her neck once again, scratching it nervously. "You also scratch your neck when you're nervous," She stated and Perrie looked at her curiously, "What?"

"Your neck," Jade said as she nodded towards her hand which was placed on the back of her neck still, "You scratch the back of it when you're nervous." She repeated.

"Tell me all the little details, I want to know," Jade giggled and Perrie smiled shyly at her.

Never in her life has someone wanted to know everything about her. She enjoyed the fact that Jade wasn't trying to change her mind on anything, she hadn't even brought the topic up at all, she just wanted to know about Perrie.

"One second actually," Jade help up a finger before getting up from the stool behind the counter, the blonde watched curiously as Jade walked over to the door. Jade smiled to herself as she flipped the open sign to closed, she didn't want anyone to disturb the two of them while they spoke to one another.

"Won't your parents get upset that you're closing the shop early?" Perrie asked as she shoved her hands in her pockets, eyeing the brunette nervously as she locked the door to the shop. Jade shrugged, "Probably, but I don't mind." She said as she turned back to the younger girl, a smile etched onto her face.

"Now," Jade said as she clasped her hands together, bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement, which made the younger girl giggle to herself, "Tell me all about you."

Jade had told Perrie to keep going even when the blonde felt like she had talked too much about herself. She had told her all about her childhood and how she had known Leigh-Anne since they were both about ten, she also told her about her family life, which to Perrie, was nothing that interesting. And of course, like Jade had begged, the blonde even told her small things about herself, not understanding how any of it was interesting, but Jade had encouraged her to keep going, telling her that she wanted to know anything and everything. She even encouraged her when Perrie told her lame stories about her phases throughout high-school, most were embarrassing but the blonde told them anyway because Jade promised not to laugh even though she had indeed ended up laughing at the younger girl. Of course, Perrie skipped around the obvious topic she knew that the brunette wanted her to talk about, but Jade knew that Perrie wouldn't and she didn't want to cross any boundaries with the blonde, especially since the conversation between them was going well. She knew that Perrie might open up eventually but for the time being she was okay with just this.

"You know you have basically told me your life story." Jade giggled as she watched Perrie lean her head against the window, watching the cars pass by. The two of them had been talking for so long that it was now dark outside, and they were both shivering from the coldness that the window was letting off, but neither of them seemed to care.

"Well, that is what you wanted, isn't it?" Perrie inquired as she nudged Jade's knee with her foot, the brunette nodded immediately, "But," She said as she held up her finger, Perrie looked at the finger then back to Jade's eye, looking at her curiously.

"But what?"

"There is one thing I don't know about you." Jade smiled as she watched Perrie get nervous, she knew that the blonde was expecting her to ask something about her love life, but she didn't realize how off she actually was.

Perrie's tongue darted out of her mouth to lick her lips nervously, waiting impatiently for Jade's question, "And what would that b-be?" Jade smirked, "Your last name,"

Perrie looked away sheepishly, feeling foolish. She hadn't noticed this entire time that she had never told Jade her last name, yet told her everything else about her life.

"Edwards, Perrie Edwards." She answered and Jade smiled softly, "What a lovely name for a lovely girl." She said as she eyed Perrie, watching as the younger girl's cheeks burned red.

"What about you Jade, what's your last name?" Perrie quickly changed the subject.

"Thirlwall." She answered and Perrie nodded, "Thirlwall," The younger girl repeated, trying it out for herself, "Pretty." She commented and now it was Jade's turn to blush.

Their moment was soon interrupted by the sound of the door being unlocked and the bell above it ringing, Jade closed her eyes as she sighed to herself knowing it was only her parents.

She looked over to see only her mother standing in the doorway, she gave her a questioning look, her mam seemed to notice, "He's out with some friends, don't worry." She reassured.

"Speaking of friends," She started, a smirk appearing on her face as she let her eyes wander over to the blonde girl sitting next to her daughter. "Who might this be?" She questioned as she studied the younger girl for a moment, Perrie practically shaking in her seat under her gaze, to say she was terrified was an understatement.

"This is Perrie," Jade said as she reached over to grab Perrie's hand squeezing it gently, trying to reassure her, but it didn't seem to help, for the blonde it had only made things worse. She hadn't held anyone's hand in so long, she hadn't had any kind of contact with any other human like this in years, and it felt foreign, yet familiar to her all at once. It was hard to focus on anything except for the feeling of the brunette's fingers laced through her own.

"Nice to meet you, Perrie," She heard Jade's mam speak and quickly looked back over to her, giving her a warm smile, "Nice to meet you too Mrs. Thirlwall."

"Just call me Norma," She smiled at the younger girl, who just nodded. She stared at her for another second before looking back over to her daughter, "How did you two meet?" She asked and Jade giggled.

"That wedding that I recently went to with Jess, well, it was her best-friend's cousin's wedding," Jade explained and her mam sat there silently waiting for her to continue, "I saw Perrie sitting alone and went to talk to her, turns out we both go to the same Uni and we didn't even know." Jade chuckled and her mother looked at Perrie with a wide grin, her hands clasping together in joy.

"This is great! Jadey doesn't have many friends, well, she doesn't bring them around us!" Jade's mam laughed, and the brunette felt herself grow embarrassed. Perrie just giggled as she looked back over to Jade, who suddenly seemed interested in the tile floor.

"Mam!" She whined which made the other two laugh even more, "I'm just teasing!" She laughed and Jade pouted and huffed out quietly, whispering something under her breath so no one else could hear.

"Okay, okay, I'm going to leave you two now, goodnight!" She said as she walked to the stairs that led up to their apartment.

It was silent for a few moments before Jade spoke up, "Sorry about her," She chuckled as she shook her head, knowing that her mam lived for embarrassing her. "She's just..." Jade trailed off, trying to find something to say but eventually came up with nothing.

"She's great." Perrie giggled and Jade shook her head as she chuckled quietly and once again, it fell silent between the two of them.

"Jade," The blonde spoke quietly and Jade looked up from the tiles of the floor to meet Perrie's eyes, and all the breath in her lungs seemed to escape as she saw how intense her gaze was.

"Yes, Perrie?" She managed to croak out, thankful that the younger girl hadn't noticed. The blonde smiled as she glanced down for a second, her pale cheeks slowly turning scarlet before she looked back up to meet Jade's soft brown eyes. She fell silent for a moment, hoping that the older girl would catch on.

Perrie glanced down once again and repeated her action a couple of times, staring at Jade nervously. As soon as Jade noticed what she had been talking about she immediately pulled her hand away, feeling like a deer caught in the headlights, her heart beat wildly inside of her chest as she heard the girl next to her chuckle.

"I never said you had to pull away," Perrie whispered and Jade chuckled nervously, wondering why the blonde was all of a sudden so bold.

"I-I just didn't want to make you uncomfortable." Jade shrugged and Perrie smiled at the brunette's sudden nervousness. She liked how the tables had turned, now Jade was the one that was left a stuttering mess.

"You didn't." Perrie shrugged, it was true, Jade hadn't made her feel uncomfortable in the least bit. It just seemed so strange to have those weird feelings in the pit of her stomach again as the simple contact of skin was made, and it was terrifying.

She knew those feelings all too well and once she felt them she managed to shut the person that made her feel that way out. But there was something about the small brunette beside her that seemed to beat on the walls around her heart, begging to be let in, and as Perrie looked at her she thought to herself, with time I just might let her in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate that I put up two parts in one day but it was because I had the first one written for a while, and I just recently wrote this one. I just really wanted to put at least another one up..., oops. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this and if you did, comments or even just a simple kudo is very much appreciated, (I'm sorry for being lowkey thirsty) thank you so much for reading!!!


	3. Chapter 3

After a week of visiting the bookshop every single day to talk to the small brunette, Perrie found herself smiling quite frequently. She would be sitting by herself at her desk working on things for class, yet a smile still managed to tug at the corner of her lips. It was strange but the blonde seemed to enjoy it, no one had ever had this affect on her which had left her a bit terrified. They talked about nothing and everything all at once. They would tell each other stories and sometimes they would swap secrets and giggle to themselves quietly, feeling like they were in high-school all over again. The blonde couldn't deny that after a week she had taken a liking to Jade and she couldn't help the way it made her feel all giddy on the inside and, she liked it.

Perrie was sitting alone in her room, wrapped in sheets with a book in her hands. Today was Sunday once again and she had decided that instead of going out she would stay home, not only because it was freezing and she didn't feel like being frozen to death, but she also had her nose buried too deep into the book she was reading. It was strange because Perrie wasn't one to enjoy reading, most of the time she would just ask how it is and see the movie instead, so it surprised her that she seemed to actually like the book in her hands.

Then again she wasn't sure if it was because she actually liked it or it was because a certain brunette had recommended it to her, telling her it was a great read and lent the younger girl her copy. Perrie couldn't refuse once she saw the look in Jade's eyes as she asked her to tell her more about the plot, the blonde found herself not even listening to what she was saying, instead she watched as the older girl's eyes lit up as she explained the story to her. Once Jade was done she asked Perrie what she thought, the younger girl immediately blushed, knowing she didn't hear a word Jade had said, but instead of telling her that she wasn't even listening, she decided to tell her how great it sounded. Perrie remembered the way the brunette's smile grew wider as she dug under the counter, looking for the book, her eyes lighting up once she found it. 

"Now be careful with this," Jade warned and Perrie smiled coyly at her, "I've read this over a million times, I hope you like it as much as I do." She carefully handed the book over to the younger girl, watching intently as Perrie let her eyes skim over the cover. The blonde couldn't help but smile at the way the book cover was incredibly bent, you could easily tell Jade had read it more than once. Perrie opened it up looking on the other side of the front cover, seeing Jade's name written there, she looked up to the brunette, who's cheeks were tinted red as she watched Perrie's thumb run over the permanent marker.

"I will, don't worry," Perrie reassured her with a soft smile, which left the older girl feeling weak at the knees. "I'm sure I'll love it." She added as her eyes flicked back down to the book in her hands.

And Perrie didn't lie, she actually did love it so far. It had only been the day before that Jade had lent it to her and she was already halfway finished with it. She was unsure at first and was debating on just researching it, but then she thought back to how Jade explained her love for it, and Perrie knew that if the brunette with the big doe eyes wanted her to read it, she would.

Perrie sighed as she heard her phone buzz from her nightstand, she closed the book and gently laid it down beside her, making sure she was careful with it because she knew that's what Jade had wanted. She leaned over to the nightstand to grab her phone and rolled her eyes once she saw it was a text from Leigh-Anne. It wasn't that she disliked her friend but the constant questions each day were getting on the younger girls nerves. Perrie decided to text Leigh-Anne the first day she went to go talk to Jade, telling her all about how it went, Leigh-Anne of course was ecstatic, saying she knew they would be a good match for each other. Everyday since then the older girl texted her asking how everything was going and if she had went to see her again, or asked about seeing her on campus, which Perrie still hadn't.

The blonde wasn't surprised by the text on her screen, 'You go see Miss. Lovergirl today? ;)' Perrie rolled her eyes before unlocking her phone, her thumbs typing quickly on the screen.

'No, I decided to stay in today.' She quickly sent a reply, knowing that Leigh-Anne would probably question her further, but she was surprised when she had dropped the subject completely.

'Figured so! It is quite cold today, don't blame you. Anyways, how are you?' Perrie pondered for a moment, how was she? Really? She had to admit for the first time in a while she was actually quite happy, she figured it was because of her new friend, but she didn't want to tell Leigh-Anne that.

'I'm actually quite good, how are you?'

'Great! Life is great, I'm in love, my best friend is in love ;)' Perrie laughed at her comment, she had known Jade for a week and Leigh-Anne was already jumping to conclusions. Even though she was expecting this from her best friend, it still annoyed her.

'Who said I was in love? I've known the girl for a week! We're just friends.' 

' "Just friend" Sure, Perrie' The blonde let out an exasperated sigh, knowing that it was no use trying to get through to Leigh-Anne. She raised an eyebrow once she saw that Leigh-Anne had messaged her again, 'You know I'm only joking about the love thing Pez! I know you're not the most open with your feelings. I know you like her.'

Perrie again didn't type anything back as she thought about what Leigh-Anne said, the blonde knew in the back of her mind what the feelings she had truly were. She did like Jade, she wasn't in love with her, but she liked her presences and liked to be around her.

'I shouldn't say this because Jesy told me not to, but she really likes you.' Leigh-Anne's text caused butterflies to erupt in the younger girl's stomach, she knew that Jade must have felt some sort of attraction towards her by the way Jade came to talk to her so confidently when they first met, but she was surprised that the younger girl did actually  _like_  her, only after knowing her for a week.

'You're right, I do like her a bit. I'm just scared Leigh' Leigh-Anne knew this already, she knew that the blonde was terrified by the way she felt and it would be hard for her to trust Jade, but the older girl had a feeling that Jade would be patient with Perrie and let her take her time. She knew these things because Jade's best friend, Jesy, had told her all about the younger brunette. The more she talked about her the more Leigh-Anne knew that Jade and Perrie could easily work out. Jade was loyal, which is exactly what Perrie needed.

'Just trust me, she's a sweetheart Pez! :)' Perrie smiled at Leigh-Anne's text, the blonde already knew that Jade was an absolute sweetheart. The older girl was patient with her and never pushed her to talk about anything when she became too uncomfortable with the subject, which Perrie appreciated.

'I'll go see her on my way back from class tomorrow! (:' Perrie texted back quickly, feeling her eyelids droop, she had been up all night reading that she hadn't noticed that it was half past one. She chuckled softly to herself as she sat the book down gently on her nightstand before turning off the light.

The only thing that Perrie could think about before falling asleep was the girl with the big brown eyes.

******

"Hey stranger," Perrie smiled to herself as she heard the familiar sweet tone greet her, she let her eyes wander to the counter, seeing Jade perched on her seat watching the blonde closely. "I missed you yesterday." Jade pouted and the younger girl giggled which caused a smile to tug at Jade's lips, not being able to stay upset with her. 

"Well, I was up all night last night." Perrie said as she walked to the counter, resting an elbow on it as she sat her chin in the palm of her hand, "I was reading," The blonde added which caused Jade to smirk. "Oh really?" Jade inquired, raising an eyebrow, her tone making goosebumps rise along Perrie's skin. The blonde just nodded, not trusting her voice to speak at the moment.

"I thought you weren't really a reader." Jade tilted her head to the side, looking at Perrie skeptically. The younger girl felt her cheeks burn under Jade's intense gaze, Jade was right she wasn't a reader, but she really wanted to read it for Jade, even though she hated to admit it.

"I'm not," Perrie spoke softly, smiling shyly at Jade, and the older felt her girl heart melt at the sudden shyness. "But I thought since you liked it so much, I'd give it a try." Perrie said, her tone still soft.

Jade knew that she looked like a love sick fool right about now, and she didn't seem to care. The butterflies had erupted immensely inside of her stomach at the younger girl's words, she hadn't expected her to read it, especially not stay up the entire night to read it. She saw the blonde's cheeks start to burn once again and she loved the look on her, the way the dark red contrasted with her pale skin, Jade found herself absolutely smitten. 

"Excuse me!" Perrie immediately stepped away from the counter to let the man up to the counter, Jade's eyes following her. Jade hadn't even noticed the short angry man that looked like he was going to explode any second, he had been standing there for a few minutes while the two had just stared at one another, and he was fed up to say the least. Perrie hated to admit that even for a few moments she hadn't noticed him, but giggled once she saw the way the brunette's eyes stayed locked on hers, even as she stepped to the side.

"Excuse me, can I get some help?!" The man spoke again, which still hadn't got Jade's attention. Perrie shook her head, smiling coyly before waving her hand in front of Jade's face, "Jade!" She said, and Jade finally tore her gaze away from the blonde. Once she had realized what she had done, she felt embarrassment flood her body, she just wanted to run and hide her face away from the world. 

"Um .. I-I'm sorry sir," She smiled at him sympathetically, feeling awful for her actions. The man just huffed out as he threw the book on the counter, Jade sighed quietly as she grabbed the book from the counter. The whole time she felt a pair of blue eyes boring into the side of her head, and smiled to herself remembering that Perrie was still standing there waiting for her to finish.

"Have a nice day sir." Jade chirped and the man roughly grabbed the bag from Jade's hand and walked past Perrie, muttering something under his breath, the two of them figuring it wasn't something too nice.

"Sorry about that." Perrie chuckled awkwardly as she scratched the back of her neck, Jade shrugged knowing that Perrie shouldn't be the one feeling embarrassed or awkward, she was the one who had a staring problem. "No need to apologize, it's all on me," Jade reassured. The blonde nodded and stood there for a few moments before Jade broke the silence once again.

"It's hard to focus on work with pretty girls like you around." Perrie could hear the smirk in Jade's voice, which made her blush profusely. Perrie quickly raised her hands to cover her reddened cheeks, which only made Jade giggle and the blonde felt her heart beat wildly in her chest at the sound.

"Thank you." Perrie whispered softly, but Jade still heard.

"No need to thank me," Jade smiled as she watched Perrie's blue eyes dart around the room, refusing to make any eye contact with her. She took this chance to let her eyes roam the younger girl's body, of course the brunette wanted to take things slow with her, but she couldn't help but admire the way her clothes hugged her body, showing of her curves. Jade had to admit it left her mouth dry at the thought of a bare naked blonde panting heavily beneath her. 

"Jade?" She heard the soft shy voice once again, the brunette immediately looked up to the blonde and smiled coyly at her. She immediately felt bad for thinking the way she did, the way that Perrie stood in front of her at the moment, all innocent and shy, it made her feel guilty for thinking such things about her. 

"Sorry," Jade quickly apologized and Perrie shrugged it off, "I was just thinking." She added and the blue-eyed girl raised an eyebrow, "Thinking about what?" she inquired, even though the older girl thought she was sneaky, she made it quite obvious. Perrie had easily seen where her eyes were traveling.

Jade suddenly fell silently and the blonde smirked, suddenly feeling confident as Jade looked around the room sheepishly, "I saw those eyes, Jadey. My eyes are up here." Perrie teased as she put her finger under Jade's chin, forcing her to look into her eyes, the older girl felt herself gulp as their eyes met, knowing she had been caught.

Perrie couldn't help the rush of excitement running through her body, especially rushing down to her groin at the thought of what Jade had been thinking of. 

"How are you?" Jade blurted out causing the younger girl to giggle as she pulled her hand away, leaning on the counter again, "I'm pretty good, how about you?"

"Good now that you're here." Jade winked, giggling as she watched Perrie roll her eyes. Jade's confidence was back again, Perrie smiled to herself. 

"Seriously Jade, how are you?" Perrie asked again and Jade deadpanned, "I already said, good now that you're here."

The blonde felt tingles running down her spine at the older girl's words, no one had ever said things like this to her. All throughout the week Jade would say simple things like that and it drove Perrie absolutely insane, in a good way. She just wanted to pounce on the older girl and kiss her relentlessly, she didn't even know who she was anymore. A week ago she was trying to protect her heart and now she had a crush, her first crush in years but it never felt like this before and she found herself loving the feeling more every single day. In a way she was still protecting herself, keeping her most vulnerable side to herself, though Perrie knew that would take time to open up to Jade. 

"Perrie?" She heard Jade's voice, suddenly it sounded soft and just as vulnerable as she had earlier. She looked up to meet the brunette's soft brown eyes, she couldn't pin point exactly what she saw in them, but she could tell something was off. "Yes Jade?"

"Willyougooutwithme?" Jade's words were rushed and Perrie hadn't understood anything the older girl had said, but she could easily sense her nervousness. It was strange how the brunette was confident one second, and nervous and shy the next. "Slow down, Jade," She chuckled, "What did you say?"

Jade took a deep breath, looking down at her hands, which were placed on the counter top, "Will you g-go out with me?" Jade was proud that this time it came out clear, even though she managed to stutter a bit which caused the blonde to smile at her nervousness.

Perrie knew that she couldn't refuse, no matter how beaten up her heart was and how terrified it felt at the moment, she could also feel the way it was screaming yes, begging for her to go, which she did.

"Yes, Jade, of course." She smiled and laughed softly as she saw the older girl let out a deep breath, not even realizing that she had been holding it in the whole time.

"Are you free this friday?" Jade asked, leaning forward, her confidence suddenly making a comeback. Perrie thought about it for a moment, she wasn't too sure if she would be free since she wasn't sure what homework would be assigned that day. "I'm not sure, you know how the professors love to throw random assignments at us." Perrie said and Jade nodded her head in agreement, "Okay true, that is very true," She chuckled.

"Saturday then?" She asked and Perrie nodded, "What time?" The blonde asked and Jade sat there once again, chin in the palm of her hand, admiring the blonde. "Seven? Is that okay for you?" Perrie nodded.

"So are you going to be telling me where we're going or are you going to surprise me?" Perrie giggled and Jade bit her lip, trying to suppress the huge grin from forming on her face, trying to keep her cool around the younger girl. 

"A surprise, obviously." 

"I hate surprises!" Perrie crossed her arms over her chest, and stomped her feet childishly which caused the brunette to throw her head back in laughter, loving how immature the blonde was acting. "I figured." Jade smirked.

"You're really not going to tell me?" Perrie asked and Jade shook her head, Perrie sighed out in defeat as she walked over to the door, pressing her hand to the glass as she kept her eyes glued to the older girl.

"Well, I guess I'll be going then." Perrie spoke softly and Jade felt herself frown, wishing Perrie would stay longer, all week she had stayed for at least a couple of hours. A couple of times she would even sit silently doing her homework and listen to Jade ramble on, which the older girl had appreciated but she hated seeing her leave so soon, wondering why their time together had been cut short.

"Bye Perrie," Jade said sadly and the blonde gave her a reassuring smile, which almost immediately made Jade perk up. "See you Saturday!" Perrie said as she opened the door, shivering from the gust of wind that came in from the outside. "See you then." Jade said as she watched the blonde walk out of the book shop.

She couldn't help but smile to herself, not believing that Perrie had actually said yes. She never thought that she would give her a chance, and she was happy that she got a chance to prove to Perrie what love really means.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MERRY LATE CHRISTMAS!!!!!!! I was going to post this on Christmas but never got it done, I'm sorry!! But I hope you all liked it and I also hope you had a wonderful Christmas! P.S. Kudos make the world go round. P.S.S Sorry for any typos!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am extremely sorry I didn't update this for so long! The only reason I hadn't been updating this is because I'm really busy writing multiple fics at a time, which is obviously a bad Idea!! (I can't help myself) Anyways, I hope you enjoy! :) P.S. THIS DIDN'T COME OUT AS GOOD AS I WANTED IT TO ME, I'm lowkey sad about that.

To say Jade was nervous was an understatement, she had never felt this nervous to go out with someone in her entire life. She knew exactly why, it was because she wanted to sweep Perrie right off her feet and was scared that she wouldn't be able to impress her.

Jesy had celebrated along with Jade, happy that her friend finally built the courage to ask the blonde out, even though she knew she had it in her all along. They had only known each other for a week but ever since the brunette laid eyes on her, she was dying to take her out and show her what it was really like to fall in love, not that Jade was expecting to have the blonde falling after one date, but she was hoping maybe it would shed some light on the subject for her.

At the moment Jade was in the shower, getting ready for her date with the younger girl, and at times she would catch herself smiling just at the thought of her, she felt like some love sick fool. Jade sighed out blissfully as she leaned her against the tile wall of the shower, letting the warm droplets of water cascade down her back gently. The warm water relived the stress that she was feeling, her aching muscles finally loosening up.

The reason she was stressed was obvious, it all came back to her date with Perrie. She just wanted every small detail to be perfect, she wanted to impress her in any and every way possible. She had learned many things about the blonde over the past week but was worried that she wouldn't be able to 'woo' her enough. The night before she had a phone call with Jesy, begging for help, she had become desperate.

"Maybe you could take her to a fancy restaurant," Jesy suggested, "You now how girls love those." She added and Jade let out an exasperated sigh when she talked to the blonde she had thoroughly explain her hate for high-end restaurants.

"Trust me, Jess, that was my very first thought," Jade chuckled to herself, "She said she doesn't like them." She stated and Jesy pouted, upset that her suggestion hadn't helped in the slightest.

"How about the cinema?" Jade shook her head, not liking the idea of sitting in a dark theater for a first date, it didn't seem to be enough to please her, "Eh, sitting in a dark room and not even talking." Jade scrunched her nose up in distaste, it wasn't that she disliked going to the cinema it was just it didn't seem to be the best idea for this particular occasion.

“Yeah, that sounds like a great time to me.” Jade could practically hear the smirk in the older girl's voice, which caused Jade to blush profusely.

“Jess! I want her to actually like me, not just get into her pants!” Jade exclaimed which caused Jesy to erupt into fits of laughter, even though she wasn't there she was sure that the brown-eyed girl was all red. “You of all people should know that,” Jade added, “I like all the mushy romantic stuff, you're the complete opposite of me.” She joked and Jesy laughed once again at the younger girl's words.

"You're right, though," Jesy said after she regained her breath, "You're a hopeless romantic, how haven't you come up with something already?" She inquired and Jade slumped her shoulders, Jesy was right this was usually so easy for her.

"I'm just extremely nervous," Jade stated, "I want everything to be perfect." She knew that was the reason that it was driving her up the wall, she didn't want to just throw some idea together, she needed it to be flawless.

"Why would you ask me?" Jesy asked and Jade shrugged, " 'Cause you're my best friend, I'm supposed to turn to you for everything, remember?" The younger girl laughed and Jesy smiled, liking that Jade would go to her first for everything.

"How about a fun fair?"

"Too cold out." Jade immediately shot the idea down.

"Coffee shop?"

"Too cliche, even for me"

Jesy chuckled softly at Jade's comment, "How about that cute diner?" She suggested and Jade thought about it for a moment. "The one with the cool 50's vibe." She added.

"Still cliche," She giggled, "But, I like it." She smiled as she heard Jesy clapping her hands together enthusiastically on the other end of the line.

"They have the best milkshakes, don't they?" Jesy said and the brunette nodded, deciding that it would be perfect enough for her. It wasn't too over the top but it wasn't too shabby either, she knew that the blonde would appreciate that.

Jade had finally finished drying herself off, before smiling feeling a giddy feeling deep in the pit of her stomach as she eyed the outfit she had picked out lying on her bed. Just like the date itself she didn't want her outfit to be over the top in any way, even when she told Perrie this a few days earlier when she had asked, the blonde insisted on wearing something nice but Jade refused, wanting her to dress casually.

"Are you sure? I don't want to look like a slob?" Perrie questioned and Jade chuckled softly, shaking her head. "I highly doubt you'll look like a slob, Perrie." Jade was certain that there was no way the blonde could ever look bad, she had always looked absolutely stunning every time she laid eyes on her.

"You won't say that once you see me." She said as a smile tugged at the corner of her lips, causing Jade to smile back, even wider. "Oi, pipe it!" Jade joked as she leaned over the counter, smacking Perrie's forearm. Perrie's bottom lip jutted out, causing Jade's heart to swell, she was sure that was the cutest thing she had seen.

"See you Saturday." The blonde smiled brightly before she left, Jade nodded. "See you Saturday." She repeated softly as the blonde walked out for the door.

******

"Leigh! I feel under-dressed!” Perrie complained as she looked at herself in the body length mirror, she knew that Jade said casual, but casual didn't sit right with her at the moment.

She could hear her best-friend's laughter over the other end of the phone, “Show me,” Leigh-Anne said and Perrie immediately turned the camera around to let Leigh-Anne look in the mirror.

"You look fine Pez." She shrugged and the blonde let out a frustrated groan, "But I want to look like, good, I don't even know what she likes." Perrie began to ramble, Leigh-Anne tried to speak but she just kept on, "What if I'm not even her type? I mean, I have to be, don't I? Why would she ask me out at all, what if this is just a setup? What i-"

“Perrie! Calm down, trust me, it's not the end of the world!” Leigh-Anne exclaimed and Perrie groaned as she threw herself onto her bed, her back hitting the soft mattress. “I know, I'm just nervous.”

“I can tell,” Leigh-Anne giggled, “But I'm sure your look won't matter, she said casual, so just keep it casual.” She tried helping calm the blonde's nerves, even though she knew she wasn't helping that much.

“Sorry,” Perrie apologized, “It's just that it's been so long and I don't really know what to do with myself.” She awkwardly scratched the back of her neck, a smile making it's way to the older girl's face. She was happy that Perrie was trying something new for once, she never thought that this would work out so smoothly she thought that the younger girl would ignore Jade after the wedding.

Perrie saw a notification at the top of her phone screen and her eyes widened in excitement. “She just texted me!” She squealed, jumping up from her position on the bed.

“Really? What did she say?” Leigh-Anne questioned and Perrie looked at the message, seeing that it was an address. “It's just the address she wants me to meet her at.” Perrie smiled, feeling her heart beat wildly in her chest.

“Where's she taking you?”

“I'll tell you all about it tomorrow, okay? No more questions!” Perrie giggled and Leigh-Anne nodded, “Fine, I'll stop, have fun.” She winked before ending the face-time call.

******

“Fuck,” Jade sighed to herself, the cars in front of her weren't moving at all and she was already five minutes late. _So much for wanting this to run smoothly_ , Jade thought to herself. She wasn't sure what was holding up traffic but she could see the people in front of her getting out of their own cars to see what was happening. Everyone around her was getting just as angry and frustrated, but Jade decided not to show it. She needed to calm down, all she needed to do was tell Perrie that there's a huge traffic jam, Jade was sure that she would understand.

She reached over to the passenger seat, looking for her phone but came up with nothing. Jade's eyebrows furrowed, as she looked around her car, seeing that her phone was nowhere in sight. She grabbed her purse from the floorboard and frantically searched through it, at this point she almost felt like crying when she realized that she hadn't brought her phone with her at all.

“You have to be fucking kidding me?!” Jade exclaimed as she threw her purse in the passenger seat, then laid her head against the wheel. Now there was no way of contacting Perrie, she didn't want the blonde thinking she stood her up.

Jade let out an exasperated sigh, _how stupid can I be to forget something as important as my phone_?

******

Perrie frowned deeply, she had been waiting around ten minutes for Jade to show up, and she hadn't come. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to wait or not, maybe she's just running late, she thought to herself. Perrie tried convincing herself that Jade wouldn't do this, she promised she wouldn't ever do anything like this, but all the negativity was starting to get to her. Because things like this always happened, people always ended up breaking promises.

 _But Jade is different,_ Perrie thought to herself, _I just know it._

"Ma'am, would you like to order?" A middle-aged woman walked up to Perrie. She just sighed and shook her head, "I'm waiting for someone, I'll wait till they get here." She said and the woman just nodded, giving her a sympathetic smile.

She pulled out her phone from her pocket, deciding to text Jade instead because if she was running late she knew she would inform her.

'Hey! I just wanted to say that I'm here and I was wondering where you are :( Are you running late? If so that's fine!'

Now it was just time to wait.

******  
After what felt like hours of waiting but was probably only around twenty minutes the traffic began to move, which caused a smile to break out on the brunette's face because something good was finally happening. She just hoped that Perrie hadn't already got up and left, that's all that she could think about at the moment. The thought of the blue-eyed girl sitting there all alone, waiting for her to come. The thought of Perrie thinking she got stood up hurt her, especially since she was trying to help Perrie understand that love doesn't hurt.

Jade smiled to herself, knowing that she was only about ten minutes away from the diner now, and hopefully, things would run smoothly from here on. She could feel her body buzzing at the thought of walking inside and seeing the blonde's eyes light up, knowing that she truly meant what she said. She was looking forward to explaining what made her late, knowing that it was just a bit of bad luck and she truly was interested in getting to know her.

She decided to turn on the radio to calm her nerves a bit because she did admit that they had gotten worse since she left, especially since the traffic jam made her twenty minutes late.

Apparently, some higher being was just not on her side today because as Jade started to sing along to the radio her car began to make a low rumbling noise. She let out a frustrated groan as she pulled over to the side of the road. Jade decided that it was best to check and see if there was something wrong, so she got out of the driver's seat to make her way to the front of the car. As soon as she opened the hood of the car it immediately started to smoke, which got into her eyes causing them to burn.

"God damn it!" She exclaimed, stomping her foot on the ground as she turned away from her car, rubbing her eyes, only causing them to water even more. "You have to be kidding me?" She cried as she closed the hood, hoping that maybe she could just make it to the diner before anything too serious happened to her car. She didn't care, she was not giving up on this.

Once she got back in her car she turned the key in the ignition but the car refused to start, she tried over and over, again and again, but nothing. She hit her wheel with her fist several times, causing the horn to honk, “YOU HAVE TO BE JOKING!” She screamed as she let her head hit the back of the seat with a thud.

No matter how defeated she felt she was getting to that diner one way or another, she let out a deep sigh as she got out from her car, taking her belongings with her. It was a twenty-minute walk, and she knew the blonde would be fed up with waiting, but in the end, she knew it'd be worth it. So she walked, no matter how many people stopped to ask if she wanted a ride, she would refuse, not trusting anyone, especially the older men. She walked, even though her feet ached and were probably going to be covered with blisters the next morning. Even when it started raining, she walked through it, just wanting to get to the blue-eyed girl, who was hopefully waiting for her, even though Jade wouldn't be surprised if she was gone. It had been an hour and a half.

She let out a sigh of relief when she saw the bright sign of the diner only a few feet away, “Finally,” She breathed as she ran to the front door, but felt defeated once she saw that there was no Perrie in sight. Even though she expected it, she still felt her heart drop to her stomach, knowing that the blonde was probably more hurt than her at the moment.

She walked to the woman at the counter, “Have you seen a girl here, blonde hair, blue ey-” She started to speak but the woman cut her off, “Yeah, she left about ten minutes ago, looked heartbroken. Poor thing got stood up.” She frowned as she let her eyes wander to the booth Perrie had sat at.

Jade felt her eyes sting from the woman's words, she wanted to inform her that Perrie hadn't been stood up, that it was all a big mistake, she just had a lot of bad luck, but decided against it. "Thank you ma'am" The woman nodded and Jade decided that she was going to see the blonde, even if her flat was a ten-minute walk. She needed to prove to her that she meant what she said.

******  
"Why does this always happen to me, Leigh?" Perrie cried as she clutched her pillow to herself. She decided that as soon as she got home that she needed to talk to her friend, knowing that she was the only one who would understand.

“Perrie, I'm so sorry, I thought she would be different.” Leigh-Anne felt beyond guilty, everything Jesy had said about Jade never added up to this. She thought that the brunette was different. “Yeah, me too.” Perrie sobbed as she buried her face into her pillow.

Jade never texted back, the blonde thought that waiting it out would be worth it, but in the end, it obviously wasn't. She sat there for over an hour and watched as several people walked in and out, waiting for one of them to be Jade, but they never were. The woman kept walking up to her, asking if she was sure she didn't want to order, she could tell the woman felt bad for her, which Perrie in a way hated. She didn't want anyone to feel bad for her.

"I texted her, thinking she'd tell me she was just running late or something," Perrie sniffled as she sat up, leaning against her headboard, "But I never got a reply." She could feel her lip quivering as brown eyes flashed through her mind.

“Maybe I'm not meant to fall in love.”

“Don't say that.” Leigh-Anne frowned to herself, hating that her friend still thought about herself this way. Everyone deserved love,

"Well, it must be true!" Perrie exclaimed, her mind was clouded and she was thinking right, she was full of anger and hurt, she had to let out the pent up emotion. "Everyone I start to fall for, they leave me, Leigh! Why am I not good enough for anyone?"

"Perrie, please listen to me," Leigh-Anne spoke softly, trying to comfort her friend. "You're an amazing, sweet, beautiful girl, anyone would be lucky to have you."

The blonde chuckled bitterly, she knew that Leigh-Anne was only trying to help her but she couldn't help but feel that everything the older girl said was all a lie.

There was a faint knock at the door and Perrie's eyebrows furrowed, “Leigh-Anne did you drive here?” She questioned and the older girl chuckled, “No, I'm in my dorm, why?”

"Because there was a knock at the door," Perrie stated and threw her comforter from her small frame, slowly shuffling towards the door. It was nine at night and she was wondering who would be knocking on her door this late.

“Should I answer it?” The blonde questioned as she leaned on the wall beside her front door.

"Look through the peep hole," Leigh-Anne suggested and the younger girl did just that, and was surprised by the sight before her.

“Leigh-Anne, I have to go, I'll talk to you tomorrow.”

"Perrie? What? Who is i-" Perrie abruptly cut Leigh-Anne off before shoving her phone inside the pocket of her pajama bottoms.

Perrie took a deep breath before opening her front door, revealing a drenched Jade. She watched as the small brunette wrapped her arms around her thin frame, trying to keep herself warm. The younger girl frowned wanting to welcome her inside but then she remembered the way she left her there at the diner, not even bothering to answer her text, so she remained cold.

“What do you want?” She asked, crossing her arms over her chest, trying to come off as intimidating as possible.

“Perrie,” Jade breathed, “I-I just wanted to come talk to you, explain what happened,” She spoke softly, seeing that the blonde didn't want her around. She knew she hurt her but it was never intentional. “But if you want me to go, I can.” Jade smiled weakly and the blonde felt her heart ache inside her chest.

The least she could do is let Jade explain, so she did. She welcomed her inside which had surprised the brown-eyed girl, but she was happy that she even gave her a second chance.

Jade explained everything from the traffic jam and forgetting her phone at home, her car breaking down, then walking to the diner only to find that Perrie was long gone, then, of course, walking to the blonde's house in the pouring rain.

Perrie felt dumb and Jade felt guilty, she wanted this night to go perfectly but everything was the complete opposite.

“Sorry, I ruined everything,” Jade apologized softly and the blonde couldn't help but smile, even though Jade never showed she tried her best to get there but she made it a few minutes too late.

“No, Jade, listen to me,” Perrie smiled warmly as she grabbed both of the older girl's hands, intertwining their fingers. “I've never had anyone do anything like that for me,” She stated, “Usually people don't even give me a second glance, but here you are walking to my house in the pouring rain at nine at night, just so you could make sure I knew you never stood me up.” Jade felt her heart beating wildly in her chest as she watched the blonde smile so wildly that she could see the obvious dimple on her cheek.

"Okay, moving on," Perrie breathed, smiling at the older girl, "Let's get you some warm clothes, yeah?" She said and Jade nodded eagerly, she loved the thought of wearing the blonde's clothes.

“Follow me,” Perrie said as she got up from the sofa, her hand still attached to Jade's dragging the brunette closely behind her. Jade smiled softly as she was pulled into the younger girl's room, letting her eyes wander around.

Perrie let go of Jade's hand, gesturing for her to sit on the bed. Jade watched as Perrie walked over to her closet to pull clothing out for Jade, a smile plastered on her face as she did so. Perrie loved the thought of the small brunette in her clothes.

Jade hesitantly took the clothes from Perrie's hands, which caused the younger girl to give her a questioning look. “I was just wondering if I could like,” Jade laughed nervously, “Have a second chance? Like a re-do?”

Perrie smiled and nodded her head, “Of course, you just had a lot of bad luck, it's no big deal.” She said and Jade let out a sigh of relief.

Jade stood up from Perrie's bed, holding the clothes tightly to her chest as she caught a glimpse of the blonde's intense gaze. Perrie felt her heart beating erratically inside of her chest as she let her eyes fall to the older girl's lips. It had been so long since she had kissed someone, years it felt like, and all of the times in the past, she had never felt one of them kiss back, at least with any meaning and she was dying to know what it felt like to mean something to someone else.

“I really want to kiss you right now.” Perrie whispered softly, watching as Jade's brown eyes widened in surprise, she never expected the younger girl to be so forward with her, but she liked it.

Jade felt the blood rush to her cheeks at Perrie's words, “What's stopping you?” Jade whispered back, causing a smile to break out on the blonde's face.

Perrie felt frozen for a moment, not believing that it was actually happening. Her heart was beating wildly inside of her chest, the feeling of the brunette's breath ghosting over her bottom lip was enough to send her over the edge. In a matter of seconds, Perrie's hands found their way to the base of Jade's jawline pulling her in closer. Jade felt her eyes automatically flutter shut as she felt the younger girl's lips against hers, her arms wrapped around the blonde's torso, pulling her in closer.

It was a simple kiss but to Perrie, it felt like so much more, never in her life had she kissed someone like this and never had the person reciprocated with just as much passion. She never thought someone would kiss her the way Jade was at the moment, like she was the oxygen that filled her lungs so she was able to breathe. Perrie smiled as she pulled the brunette closer, knowing that this was the beginning of something beautiful.

This was it she was learning to _love._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END! I know the ending was kind of abrupt but for some reason I just really wanted it to end like that but I still hope you enjoyed this story!! I know it was short but that's how I wanted it to be. I'M STILL UPSET THAT THIS LAST CHAPTER DIDN'T COME OUT HOW I WANTED, but I'll live. Anyways, thanks for reading! (:


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